Do You Know Your Onions?

I love onions, I especially love them in my Mummy’s stovies. We always grow loads of them in our garden and now is the perfect time for planting them. So, I thought I’d help you grow loads too.

This ickle onion will grow nice & big, just like me!

Getting ready to grow

You can grow them from seed or from immature onions called sets. Sets are easier to grow but fewer varieties are available as sets.  So if you want to grow something a bit more unusual then you’ll have to grow from seeds. Your sets might be marked as “heat treated”.  This just means they’ve been sitting somewhere lovely and warm for up to 20 weeks (kinda like an extended holiday). Heat treatment makes for a bigger yield as the time the onions will grow before “bolting” and becoming unusable gets longer. So it’s a good idea for beginners to use heat treated sets.

Onions prefer open, sunny and light, free-draining soil.  So you might need to dig in some organic matter to help drainage if your soil is really heavy. Don’t plant onions in freshly manured soil though as you’ll just end up with very pretty and luscious green leaves but small bulbs. They also don’t like acidic soil so you might need to add lime to planting area well before planting.

How to plant

If growing from seed, sow the seeds 1/2 an inch deep in rows that are 10-12 inch apart from late February to early April. Thin the weaker plants to 4 inch apart. If you’re using sets then you can plant these from mid March to Mid April.  Place the pointed end of the sets down into the soil so only the bottom part is covered. Space the sets 4 inches apart with rows 10-12 inches apart.

Make sure you space them out nicely like me

Whilst growing

Water when weather is dry and give an occasional feed with a general liquid fertiliser. Stop feeding from July to help prevent onion neck rot during storage. By planting your onions in a grid you make weeding easier as you can just hoe in both directions.  Like me, onions don’t like competition for water so weeding is essential.

What to look out for

Several yucky fungal diseases can cause problems:

Rust disease produces rusty spots on both sides of leaves  and reduces crop growth.  No cure so you need to lift and destroy the crop.

Onion white rot causes the leaves to turn yellow and wilt and bulbs will have white fuzzy growths.  Again no cure, you need to lift and destroy the crop.

Onion fly also cause leaves to yellow and prevent bulbs from developing properly. The fly larvae live in the soil and burrow into the bulb roots.  Discard any affected bulbs.

Onion downy mildew also causes the leaves to yellow from the tips down and white mould develops on the affected leaves.  Remove and destroy any affected bulbs.

Onion neck rot can occur during storage. To help prevent it, stop feeding from July, keep watering and don’t let the bulbs get wet after harvesting.

Harvesting & storing

Lift the onions as soon as they reach a useable size (normally between July and September) to use immediately.  If you wish to store them wait until the foliage dies down naturally and then 2-3 weeks later you can lift them.  Ease the bulbs up onto the soil surface and allow to dry there for another 2-3 weeks. If weather is a bit wet, dry them in a well ventilated shed or greenhouse. Once the skins are completely dry they can be stored in a light, cool, well ventilated place.

Make sure you dry out your onions then store them

What varieties to try?

Mummy and Daddy like to grow Sturon  brown onions and Red Barons are our red onion of choice.  We also grow “Golden Gourmet” shallots. The brainy people at Which?  have done a trial of load of different types of onions to see which grow the most and biggest onions.

“Centurion” was the best buy brown onion and “Fen Red” the best red onion.  Both gave more than 3kg of onions from 30 sets.  Other good options were “Autumn Gold”, Turbo and “Red Arrow”.

So let’s get planting so we can all make yummy stovies come the autumn!

Transformers – Gardens in Disguise! Part 2

Earlier this year we blogged some “Before & After” pictures of a few of the gardens we have designed and built. Here are some more of our recent garden transformations…

A Room with a View, Brightons

Before: the garden had become overgrown and was on an awkward slope.

An overgrown, sloped garden

After: this garden was completely transformed with new lawn, planting and the addition of the fabulous garden “pod”, allowing the garden to be enjoyed in all weathers.

The tranformed garden with the amazing “pod”

A Plantsman’s Garden, Larbert

Before: the garden was water logged and lacked inspiration.

The garden had no seating areas and lacked focal points]

After: Additional slats to the fence, new paths and patio, reshaped lawn and some beautiful planting perfected this makeover.

The new garden is packed with interest

A Low Maintenance Family Garden, Bridge of Allan

Before: there was little to be kept in the existing garden except an apple tree and rhododendron.

The apple tree was one of the few things to keep

After: The existing apple tree was given a good “hair-cut” & became the key feature of the new patio in this garden. New lawn, gravel borders and structural planting all completed this transformation.

Curving lawn, a new patio and structural planting transforms this garden

A Contemporary Wildlife Garden, Bridge of Allan

Before: The wonderful view beyond was hidden in this garden by overgrown hedgerow. There was nothing to keep in the garden at all.

There was nothing to keep in the garden

A new log fence, morning patio, raised deck, lawn and veg beds were all carefully designed to complete this garden with a view.

The new deck provides a contemporary space to enjoy the lovely views

If you are interested in having your own garden designed, click here to contact us for a free design consultation.

To see more transformations click on the following:

Transformers – Gardens in Disguise! Part 1

Transformers – Gardens in Disguise! Part 3

Thanks for reading.

All at Vialii

Gardening Gifts For Christmas 2011

Shops are selling it, TVs are advertising it and radio stations are playing it. There is no escaping the advancing march of Christmas. Each year the pressure is on to find the perfect present, something a little more thoughtful than a selection box and a pair of socks. Fret not, to help you find something special for the gardener in your life, we at Vialii have pulled together our favourite gardening gifts for Christmas 2011 to suit all tastes and budgets…

Recycled deck chairs

So, the grass is mown and the flower beds weeded – it’s time to relax and enjoy your garden. And what better way to do that than on these recycled deckchairs. Made entirely in the UK from recycled sails, the chairs can be personalised with a name or a date too.

£150 from Not on the High Street

Recycled deck chairs

Wine Glass Holder

Now, this has got to be a favourite of ours – a recycled wine glass holder. Made from recycled plastic it well and truly ticks the green box. Simple to use, just push the spike into the ground and it’s ready to use. So get out the recycled deck chair (see above) and relax with a bottle of wine and now you don’t have to worry about the glass falling over on uneven ground any more. And a bargain at £4.99 for a pack of four from Lakeland.

Wine glass holders

Ladies Floral Gauntlets

Gardening gloves need not be boring and utilitarian. These leather and linen gauntlets cover much of the arm allowing you to get stuck into some good old pruning without ripping your arms to shreds. And with this pretty floral design you can be stylish to boot.

£32.90 from EBay

Ladies floral gauntlets

Personalised Crate

There is little as satisfying as growing your own, and with this personalised crate it is the perfect place to grow your choice of annuals, herbs or shrubs. Alternatively the crate could be used as a log store or somewhere to keep all your hand tools organised. There is plenty of space for personalisation and the crate is made from high quality pine.

From £31.99 from Getting Personal

A personalised crate

Bee Hotel

There has been a lot of publicity in recent times about the reduction in the numbers of the humble bumble. We are always big fans of anything which will encourage wildlife into the garden and this is a great way of helping our friends the bees but ensuring the garden remains stylish at the same time. As well as attracting non aggressive bees such as the Mason bee, other wildlife such as lovely ladybirds will use it as a winter home. Available in a range of colours.

£19.95 from Not on the High Street

Bee hotel

Personalised Rose

Having a rose named after you has to be the ultimate accolade. Normally the domain of the rich and famous, now you can give this gift to someone you love. Included in the present is seed for the recipient to grow and the opportunity for them to name their rose and get a certificate with its details. Certainly a talking point for the garden.

£9.99 from The Gift Experience

Name a rose

Kettle Watering Can

This alternative to the traditional watering can is so much fun and will bring a smile to your face every time you use it. They are recycled and come in a wide array of funky colours. Yes please Santa!

£9.00 from Hen & Hammock

Kettle watering can

Make Your Own Scarecrow

We are big fans of encouraging kids to get involved in gardening and what better way than getting them to help make your very own scarecrow. Whether you have a larger garden with your own veg patch or are lucky enough to have an allotment, this is a fun and practical addition to any plot. The kit includes the basics you need to make your own scarecrow, illustrated instructions and ideas of how you can embellish your scarecrow to make it truly unique.

£28.00 from Hen & Hammock

Make your own scarecrow

Seedboms

Grow your own kits have been doing the rounds for some time now but these “bombs” caught our eye. The quirky holders are filled with local, recycled, organic material and are sold in a pack of 4 .

£10.95 from Kabloom

Kabloom seedbombs

So happy shopping, and from everyone at Vialii, can we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2012.

All at Vialii

All prices and suppliers correct at the time of the blog being posted. Apologies if any of these change but it’s outwith our control.